Let’s get ready to rumba.
That’s the dance that Verizon IndyCar Series driver James Hinchcliffe and professional partner Sharna Burgess will perform tonight on the sixth week of “Dancing with the Stars.” The two-hour live broadcast of the celebrity dance competition show begins at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Hinchcliffe is coming off a week in which he totaled the highest judges’ score – 29 out of a possible 30. But his and Burgess’ fate and that of the other eight remaining couples will be decided when the judges’ scores are combined with fan voting from last week.
“It’s going to be a spicy, muy caliente show tonight,” the Canadian Hinchliffe told WRTV in Indianapolis, using his best Spanish for Latin night. They will perform the rumba to “Need the Sun to Break” by James Bay.
In addition to regular judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Julianne Hough and Bruno Tonioli, rapper Pitbull will serve as a guest judge tonight. Hinchcliffe expects the competition to be so intense that he is doing something he never thought he would have to do: get a spray tan.
“I accepted the sequins, that was part of it, I knew that,” Hinchcliffe told WRTV’s Dave Furst. “I even put up with ‘guyliner’ for Week 4 and our quick step. But this, hoo, this is going far. This is breaking a whole lot of personal rules for me.”
Hinchcliffe and Burgess have consistently rated among the leaders with the judges but found themselves in jeopardy two weeks ago when a pair of couples were eliminated. That’s why, more than ever, he is asking for INDYCAR fans to vote for him tonight.
“Please vote, we need your help every single week,” he said. It always matters.”
This week’s voting opens as soon as the show begins on the East Coast at 8 p.m. ET. Phone votes for Hinchcliffe and Burgess, whose hashtag is #TeamStopAndGo, can be made toll-free at (800) 868-3405 up to 60 minutes after the show’s conclusion in each time zone. Online voting at abc.com and the “Dancing with the Stars” Facebook page runs until 8 p.m. ET Tuesday.
One couple will be eliminated tonight based on the combination of last week’s judges’ scores and fan vote.
Watch Hinchcliffe’s interview with Furst below.